Self-erecting front camera



Sept. 13, 1949 D. c. HARVEY SELF-ERECTING FRONT CAMERA 2 Shee'tsf-Sheetl Filed Jan. 5, 1946 'lill/[Illia 0 A TTORNE YS HARVEY SELF-ERECT INGFRONT CAMERA Sept. 13, 1949o 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Jan. 5, 1946DoUGLASs HARVEY INVENTOR BY 0m @www ATTORNEYS Patented Sept. 13, 1949SELF-ERECTING FRONT CAMERA Douglass C. Harvey, Rochester, N. Y.,assigner to Eastman Kodak Company, Rochester, N. Y., a corporation ofNew Jersey Application January 5, 1946, Serial No. 639,302

5 Claims.

This invention relates to photography and more particularly to foldingcameras of the self-erecting type. One object of my invention is toprovide a camera of the type described in which the camera front willopen automatically and will be projected into a picture-taking position.Another object of my invention is to provide a camera in which the partsare designed to hold a lens and shutter rigidly and accurately on theaxis of the exposure frame. Another object of my invention is to providea camera which consists of comparatively few parts so made that theassembling operations are comparatively simple and so made that thedesired rigidity is obtained. A still furn ther object of my inventionis to provide a simple form of releasing mechanism by which the partsmay be released for folding after pictures have been made. Still anotherobject of my invention is to provide a self-erecting front camera for alens holding mechanism which will resist a thrust f toward the camerabody at all times except after releasing mechanism has been operated.Other objects will appear from the following specication, the novelfeatures being particularly pointed out in the claims at the endthereof.

Coming now to the drawings in which like reference characters denotelike parts throughout:

Fig. 1 is a section through a typical camera having a self-erectingfront mechanism constructed in accordance with and embodying a preferredform of my invention. Certain parts have been omitted for clearness.

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevation parts being shown in section ofa position of the selferecting front mechanism shown in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view showing positions of theself-erecting front mechanism in a folded or closed position.

Fig. 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3 but with the parts in the positionthey assume while the camera is being opened. This view shows the partswith the camera bed lowered about 45 from a closed position.

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a preferred embodiment of my inventionwhen the camera is in an open or picture-taking position, and

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary detail taken on line 6--6 of Fig. 5 and showingpartially in section and partially in elevation a positonof theself-erecting front mechanism. f

My invention broadly comprises a camera in which a camera bed may beheld in an open position by jointed bed braces, one section of these bedbraces operating erecting links which move a camera objectiveand'shutter into a picturetaking position and which lock these parts ina picture-taking position when the bed opens. The

,camera bed opening movement may be done manfually or a spring mayfurnish the sole power to .open the camera when a camera latch isreleased.

More sp'ecically as shown in Fig. 5 the camera may consist of a camerabody I to which a bed 2 is attached by means of a hinge 3. The camerabody I may be of the usual type to support roll hlm, cut nlm, plates, orthe like in a plane and on an axis A behind an objective, not shown,which may be carried by a between-the-lens type of shutter Il having theusual trigger 5.

The shutter 4 is carried by a lens board 6, the two edges of which arebent outwardly at 'I to form flanges by which the lens board may besupported. As indicated in Fig. 1 the flanges 1 may be pivotallyattached, by means of studs 8,

kto erecting links 9. These erecting links are attached by pivots I0 tobrackets I I carried by the camera bed 2.

The flanges 1 are provided with cam surfaces rvI2 terminating inshoulders I3 which are for latching the lens board 6 in an erectposition when the camera bed 2 has been swung to its picture-takingposition shown in Fig. 1.

The erecting links 9 are 'each provided with inwardly turned anges 9jadapted to engage the .rear surface of the lens board 6 when in an openYposition as shown in Fig. 1.

"which terminates in an offset slot I6. The purpose of this slot is toguide the movement of the erecting links 9 when the camera bed is movingVbetween an open and a closed position through the engagement of a pairof pins I1 with the cam slot I5 and the cam slot I 6 and to hold theerecting links erect when these pins I'l engage the latching surfaces.

The pins I1 are carried by the jointed bed braces designated broadly asI3. One of these braces is provided on each side of the camera bed. Eachbed brace consists of an upper arm I9 pivoted at 20 to an inside wall 2|of the camera body. A spring 22 attached to the offset 23 on the braceand attached to a pin 23 on the camera wall 2| VVtends to turn the upperarm I9 in a counterclock- -of a stud 25 and there is on each lower arman extension 26 forwardly and upwardly from the pivots 25, thisextension terminating in a finger grip 2'I. Thus by pushing both fingergrips 21 in the direction shown by the arrow in Fig. l the jointedbraces will turn about the pivots 25 as the camera bed 2 is moved.

When in an open or erect position as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 the pins I'Iengage both the shoulders I3 on the anges 7 of the lens board and inaddition the pins engage the cam surfaces I4 of the two erecting links.Since the cam surfaces Iii are circumferentially arranged with respectto the pivots 25, any rearwardly thrust along the camera axis A will beresisted and the parts will be retained in their erect position quiterigidly. The rigidity of the lens board 6 is obtained through theflanges 9] of the erecting links engaging the lens board near the topor" the lens board, through the pins I'I engaging the cam surface I2near the bottom of the lens board and through the studs 8 whichpivotally support the flanges 'I at a point spaced from the cam surfacesI2 and the pins I'I. There is thus arranged a triangular support for thelens board. Cam surfaces i2 and cams I are preferably both arcs drawncircumferentially of studs 25.

Since each jointed bed brace I3 is pivotally at- 1 tached at 2D to thecamera body 2i and is pivotally attached at to the brackets I I, thesepivots, together with the hinge pintle 3 form a triangular support forthe camera bed 2. Thus as iong as the joint braces I8 have the pivotalpoints 2l and 25 substantially in alignment with the pivot I8a joiningthe upper and lower arms I9 and 2li, the camera bed will be held rigidlyin an open position. The brackets II are provided with inwardly turnedflangesl 3U which are positioned to engage the front walls 3| of theerecting links 9. When the parts are in an open position the links 9have a triangular support due to the lugs 3B, the studs IB, and the pinsil. rEhe springs 22 normally thrust the pins I7 into their latchingposition.

With the parts in the position shown in Fig. l, in order to close thecamera, the finger grips 21 may be pressed inwardly and in the directionshown by the arrow in this gure. This pressure causes the lower arms tomove about their pivotal points 25 and likewise causes the upper arms i9to move about their pivotal points 2S thereby causing the pins Il tomove downwardly over the cam surfaces I2 on the lens board and the camsurfaces I on the erecting links. When the pins II strike the edge ofthe guiding slots I5, the erecting links may fall as the pins pass upthrough the slots I5. The position of the parts when partially closed isshown in Fig. 4. Further closing movement causes the pins Il to passinto the offset slots I6 and the parts when closed will take theposition shown in Fig. 3. During this movement the lens board may swingslightly about its pivotal points 8 and erecting links 9 but the lensand shutter will remain in a generally parallel position with respect toits open position due at least in part to a camera bellows onlypartially shown in Fig. 1. This is the well-known bellows connected tothe lens board I5 and connected around the edge of the exposure frame inthe camera body.

When the camera bed 2 has been completely closed as in Fig. 3 it may beheld by a suitable latch element 31 on the camera body. This latchelement being operatable by a finger grip 33 in a known manner.

With the camera parts constructed as above described it is an extremelysimple matter to open the camera by depressing the ringer grip 38. This4 releases latch element 31 from latch element 36 so that the springs 22may project the jointed bed braces I8 about their respective pivotscausing the camera bed to spring open. During this opening movement, thepins II carried by the lower arms 2li ride through the offset slots I5and the cam slots i5 and this movement guides the movement of theerecting arms 9. Just before the nal movment of the joint arms I8 takesplace, pins I'I move behind the cam surfaces I4 on the erecting linksand the cam surfaces I2 on the lens board thrusting the lens boardforwardly as the pins reach the shoulders I3. The flanges I2 of theerecting links have then engaged their ends with the upper portions ofthe lens board thrusting it forward and the erecting links themselveshave been brought. into contact with the lugs 3E) of the brackets I I.Thus the camera is moved in a picture-taking position by a singlemovement and when once erected, the1 parts resist closing until thejointed braces I8 are moved so that the three pivotal points no longerlie in a straight line and so that the joint bed braces I5 start tofold.

'boulders I3 may serve as stops or may be omitted.

Since each movingv part is so arranged as to have a "3-point suspensionin its erect position, t are held very substantially in theirpicture-taking position from which position they i can only be moved bymoving the joint bed braces I8.

I claim:

l. In a self-erecting front camera o z the type including a. camerabody, a camera bed hingedly attached thereto, and means for supportingthe bed in an open positionv including bed braces, each comprisinghinged links pivotally attached to the camera bodyy and to the camerabed and ioldable about their hinge when the is in folded position, the`combination with said braces, of a pin on a lower' brace movable througha xed path as the lower brace turns about its hinge connection with thecarrieraV bed, a lens board, an erecting link pivotallyV attached to thelens board, a pivotal mount on the camera bed carrying the erectinglink, a cam on the erecting link lying in the path of movement of thepin and engaging said pin on the bed brace when the camera is erect,said cam on the erecting link lying between the pin on the bed brace andthe pivotal support between the bed brace and bed, a cam on the lensboard also lying in the path of movement of and engaging said pin whenthe camera is erect, said cam on the lens board lying between the pin onthe bed brace and the pivotal connection between the bed brace and bed,both cams when the camera is in an erect position being frictionallyengaged by the pin as they lie substantially in alignment whereby thelens board may be held in an erecting position and against movementtoward the camera body until the pin moves from its position forsupporting the bed in an open position.

2. In a self erecting front camera of the type including a camera body,a bed hingcdly attached thereto for movement between an open and aclosed position, jointed' bed braces each comprising a pair of hingedlinks, each of said pair of hinged links being formed by an upper linkpivoted to the camera body and a lower link pivoted to the camera bed,the combination with said bed braces, of a lens board, erecting linkspivoted to the lens board and to the camera bed, guiding cams carried bythe erecting links, pins carried by the lower links and engageable withsaid cams for guiding the erecting links through a predetermined pathwhen the bed is moved on its hinge, a cam latching shoulder on saiderecting links adapted to be engaged by said pins when said bed is in anopen position, a second cam shoulder on the lens board also adapted tobe engaged by said pins when the lens board is open, and means carriedby said erecting links and spaced from the cam latching shoulders on theerecting links for engaging the lens board and tending to press the lensboard forwardly when the bed is in an open position.

3. A self erecting front camera as dened in claim 2 characterized by theshoulders on the erecting links extending substantiallycircumferentially of the pivot of the lower link pivoted to the camerabed.

4. A self-erecting front camera as dened in claim 2 characterized by thesecond cam on the lens board and the said cam latching shoulder on theerecting links all extending substantially cir- 6 cumferentially of thepivots of the lower links on the camera bed.

5. A self-erecting front camera as defined in claim 2 characterized bythe pivotal supports for the lower links including brackets on the bedwith lugs formeell over at points spaced from the pivots for engagingand limiting the possible movement of the erecting links when the bed isopen.

DOUGLASS C. HARVEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the File ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1380,810 Kroedel June 7, 19212,303,215 Lessler Nov. 24, 1942 2,325,346 Thomas July 27, 1943

